Chapters 15 and 16 Summary

Chapter Fifteen reveals that the bombing was so successful, the ship sank. The crewmen have unloaded the weapons, which will be temporarily stowed. In a café near the pier, Joe and Graciela confirm that neither has seen any sign yet of Manny Bustamente. She tells Joe about her husband, Adan, who she says is in a Havana prison for being a revolutionary. Graciela works in Tampa as a cigar-roller, and sends most of her earnings to Adan's family in Cuba. Joe, who is feeling very lustful toward Graciela, tells her Adan is a lucky man. They make a call to a Tampa newspaper. Graciela says the bombing of the ship, the USS Mercy, was done by a group that wants Cuba to be returned to Spain's control. Back at the pier, Dion points out a body bag to Joe that contains...